A Brief History of the BC Highway Traffic Patrol

BC Highway Patrol posing in front of the Lions Gate Bridge, during the 1970s

Most folks born in the 1970s or earlier will probably remember the smash television hit, CHiPs.
The show followed the adventures of two California highway patrol officers as they kept state highways running safely and smoothly. If you didn’t get a chance to experience it then – don’t fret – you can get a sense of that super seventies magic here  (you’re welcome). Did you know that BC also had its own highway patrol enforcement? Not many folks do. Which is why we’d like to shine some light on the work they did, why they did it and what became of them.

Origins of the Department of Highways Traffic Patrol

During the 1950s, British Columbia was undergoing an incredible post war boom. New highways infrastructure projects (bridges and freeways) were being built at a rapid pace, automobiles were everywhere, and cell phones and the internet were light years away. Motorists often needed help at the roadside and the Department of Highways Traffic Patrol was there to help.

Formed in 1958, the Department of Highways Traffic Patrol was responsible for traffic control on five major lower mainland bridges – First Narrows (Lions Gate), Second Narrows (Iron-workers Memorial), Oak Street Bridge, George Massey Tunnel, Port Mann Bridge and all their approaches. The patrol consisted of both corporals and patrolmen (approx. 30-40), who were sworn in as reserve constables with the Vancouver City Police, West Vancouver Police and the BC RCMP.  None of the patrol ever had or carried guns while on duty.

Opening day on the Port Mann Bridge
Opening day on the Port Mann Bridge

Day to Day Activities of the Patrol

The biggest part of highway patrol work was to keep traffic moving. If vehicles broke down while on a bridge or in a tunnel, patrol officers got you moving again, either by radioing for a tow truck, fixing flat tires or even helping get you to a service station for gas or repairs.

Patrol officers were trained in first aid and their peace officer and special provincial constable status meant they could act as first responders in traffic accidents. The highway patrol offices at the Lions Gate Bridge and the Port Mann Bridge were equipped with extrication kits (also known as the jaws of life) and each patrol member was trained to use them.

Then of course there was the enforcement, which included radar enforcement and moving violations. Sometimes patrol members would conduct a safety check on a vehicle, run the driver information through the police database and discover the person had a warrant out for their arrest, so we would arrest them and take them down to the police station and lodge them into a cell there for the police.

Officers were sometimes deployed to local emergency scenes (such as the Hope Slide and the Deeks Creek Washout) as well as Horseshoe Bay and Tsawwassen Ferry Terminals to help with traffic control during the busy summer months.

A highway patrol officer shows his motorcycle to two young boys in the mid sixties.

BC Highway Traffic Patrol by the Numbers

Each year, the work done by the patrol was captured and reported. In 1973, for example, the patrol:

  • recorded 445,919 miles
  • dealt with 13,816 stalled vehicles
  • investigated 1,087 accidents
  • prosecuted 2,880 drivers
  • issued 1,127 warnings
  • arrested 31 impaired drivers

Additionally, they dealt with and investigated 31 suicides and attempts, numerous assaults, drug and firearms offences, stolen vehicles, escaped prisoners and many other offences.

What Happened to the BC Highway Patrol?

The special constable status of patrol members was challenged in 1982-83 and as a result, a provincial judge removed their status and ability to enforce infractions. Municipal and RCMP Traffic Services took over patrol enforcement duties and from 1983-1988 the highway patrol focussed only on removing stalled vehicles, attending collisions and doing brake checks at Horseshoe Bay terminal approach.

Following the privatization of highways in 1988, the patrol was merged into an early version of today’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement Branch, joining commercial vehicle Weighmasters and Motor Vehicle Inspectors to form the Motor Vehicle Branch.

A snapshot taken from our ministry employee newsletter circa 1978.

So, there you have it. A brief history of BC’s very own highway patrol. We hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

Check out our collection of amazing archival patrol images on our Flickr site!

If you have any questions about this, or anything else we do, let us know in the comments below.

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Page 1 of 50 comments on “A Brief History of the BC Highway Traffic Patrol”

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  1. Hello, I recently purchased a 1977 Ford F-250 Crewcab that’s an ex patrol vehicle. It has the white,black and orange paint scheme. I was wondering if you have any record of the paint code used to paint the vehicles. The box I have for the truck is black, I was told the truck originally had a flat bed. If you can give me any information regarding what paint codes were used that would be greatly appreciated and helpful in the restoration of my truck.

  2. My Dad N.W.Wells was the Superintendent of the patrol and transferred to Chilliwack in 1966 as the district Highways manager. I have the original Polaroid picture of the one posted in colour here.

  3. My father, Keith Carmichael, served both Lions Gate and 2nd Narrows. He saved a few jumpers and was a humble and dedicated man. Thank you for your article.

    • Thank you for sharing this with us, Marc. It is our honour to raise awareness of the important work done by your father and others through this work.

  4. The picture, above, of officer Janet McIvor, is most likely standing next to a 1980 Mercury Marquis Interceptor. These units were generally rare as police interceptors and only made between 1980 and 1982.

    I remember the square body ’80-’82 orange and white Marquis Interceptors, along the Lions Gate Bridge and causeway, which came after the orange and white ’75-’76 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu police cars that patrolled the Lions Gate and causeway

    • George, thanks for sharing your in-depth knowledge of those days and vehicles and identifying one of the officers. It sounds like you were among the BC Highway Patrol then?? Wishing you safe travels wherever you go!

  5. Sgt Cunningham hired me in March of 1978. Proud to have worked with the likes of John Petty, Ernie Codrington, and Ed Simpson to name a few. Claude Lalonde (former Montreal police Sgt), Bill Ewert (Former VPD), Jim McNeill (Former PC from Britain) and I all got our badges in Oct 1978.
    We were badge numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5, as they re-issued these numbers after the original members were long retired. I worked there until Feb of 1982, when the peace officer status was lost. Went to work for the Commercial Transport Division and helped to build it into CVSE.

  6. It was in the early ’70’s that I was pulled over just at the north end (travelling north) on the Patullo Bridge by an Officer which I thought was the RCMP. I actually told him he had no jurisdiction in New Westminster since he followed me from Surrey. He laughed and answered he was not RCMP, he was Highway Patrol and educated me that he could give a ticket to anyone on any highway anywhere! Got the speeding ticket. Not really speeding, but probably was over the speed limit!

    • Just so you know, all police in BC, either RCMP or municipal are sworn in for the whole Province and can write a ticket or make an arrest any where in the province.

  7. I also remember “Ernie” the tall patrolman who was posted to first narrows, man he was a strict by the book cop ,he gave me my first ticket at Robson and Denman for a crosswalk violation, he was an interesting guy to talk to as I got to know him better when I was in a wrecker later on

  8. I used to run a sub contracting wrecker out of the 2nd narrows patrol station my call number was 455 and the patrol officer on the other side was 402 he drove a 1977 LTD 2 patrol car and was a pleasant Scottish officer who wore a sam brown, long time ago

  9. Is there such a thing as the Portmann Bridge RCMP? I was recently stopped and issued a ticket for tinted windows by someone portraying himself as a Portmann Bridge RCMP officer

  10. I was a member of the patrol from 1974 until it shut down. I was the last member when we closed down. I was a corporal at the time and I had the job of receiving every piece of uniform on that last day. I was on duty the day John Roscoe got killed and was on the scene almost immediately. Lots of memories during those years.

    • Did the BC Highway Patrol officers ever carry handguns? I recall being at the ferry terminal cafe in Delta in the late 1970’s. A patrolman came in and I swear he had a revolver in a holster on his hip. Am I wrong?

      • Hi Robert – we’re jumping in here to respond to your question to John. The patrol consisted of both corporals and patrolmen (approx. 30-40), who were sworn in as reserve constables with the Vancouver City Police, West Vancouver Police and the BC RCMP.  None of the patrol ever had or carried guns while on duty. Hope this is helpful!

  11. I remember they provided a great service to the bc ambulance service escorting us across the lions gate bridge when we required the centre lane to get to calls no questions asked even in bumper to bumper rush hour. Iirc a large Patrolman named Earnie was the best at getting us through the traffic. And they were awesome on MVAs on both LGB and 2nd Narrows in fact we shared the
    patrol office at the south end of the second narrows for years. Good old station G18
    I also remember terry salmon too he was a legend

  12. This writer in early seventies was a member of the Highway patrol for a period of time. Some members came from other forces and had police training as for myself I served a few years in the Military police called the 8 Provost corps part of our duties was to enforce military law and traffic control when moving with military vehicles. Like the Highway patrol we had had marked Motorcycles with emergency equipment including emergency lights and sirens on the motorcycles and cars. After leaving the Highway patrol this writer served 25 years in a other enforcement agency in the lower mainland.

    In the comments a person named Scott mentioned his father was a Sgt when he retired which sounds like Sgt Bill Caruthers

  13. Oh and the patrolman at the booths I believe is Sgt. Cunningham. I at first thought it was Sgt Carruthers or Patrolman Jim Moodie but with your other photos on Flickr, I can see that its Sgt Cunningham.

    • My Dad was in the top picture..he retired out of the patrol as a Sgt…and he gave a lot of tickets but he more often than not let most slide. He worked out of both Lions Gate and 2nd Narrows in the 70s! So maybe, just maybe you got a ticket from him. He tried to not give tickets unless he thought that it would save your life…and some people were insistant on getting a ticket by their behaviour. LOL Thanks Scott!!

      • Thought that you would like to know a couple more things. They did have guns but they were locked up and only used if the public was in danger. Thank goodness they never had to bring them out. They were required to have first aid..probably one of the first policing agencies that made it mandatory. When they were created…their uniform was identical to that of the defunked BC Provincial Police. Everything was identical ..right down to the billy club that they carried. The only thing that was different was the title on the pins (hat pin etc) But the pin was identical..instead of saying BCPP it now said BCHP. Oh and they lost a member. He was responding to a call on Lionsgate and a lady didn’t hear Roscoe coming (he was on a motorcycle) so he switched lanes..then she moved and he ran into her, and flew over the shield of the bike (they were large bikes) and he died before he made it to the hospital. My father was the one that had to go and get his wife and bring her to the hospital. There were patrolmen who were injured on the job..usually as a result of trying to control a drunk who didn’t want to be arrested. But of course Roscoe was the only one who paid with his life. He is remembered in the THIN BLUE LINE. Officers who were killed on duty. THANKS Marlene

        • Thank you for mentioning John Roscoe. I was his wife, then widow. All of the members of the various police forces, but especially the members of the Highway Patrol, were incredibly supportive and it made a huge difference to me. His name is also on the Memorial Cairn at the Legislature in Victoria and I have attended almost every Police and Peace Officers memorial since his death.

          • I have attended the Law Enforcement Memorial Parade several years as a provincial Peace officer with the Ministry of Justice. Your husband Provincial Highway Patrolman Roscoe’s name is read out loud by junior Law Enforcement members here in BC and it is quite an emotional event for all Provincial peace officer’s still. He is An day always be considered one of our fallen in the line of duty. Thank you for the service to the citizens of B.C. of your husband he will never be forgotten.